HYDERABAD, India - Cyient, a global provider of engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, networks, and operations management services to global industry leaders, along with DJI, the world's leading manufacturer of civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today announced the winners of Hackadrone 2018 at the Cyient office in Hyderabad. The ceremony was graced by the Hon'ble Minister for IT, MA & UD, Government of Telangana, Sri K.T. Rama Rao, who also presented the awards to the winners.

Addressing the audience, the minister said that emerging technologies like drones can be a significant asset for planned urban development and have a massive societal impact in a country like India. He also complimented Cyient for leading this effort through the Hackadrone.

Hackadrone 2018 is India's first UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) hackathon, a platform to facilitate innovative commercial and industrial solutions. Participating teams competed to develop original software applications on the DJI industrial drone platform. Industry options included utilities, telecommunications, energy & natural resources, smart cities, navigation, security, transportation, and agriculture. Cyient and DJI provided all the necessary support required, including drone platforms, mentoring, and expert help on the software development kit to develop the shortlisted ideas.

Hackadrone received an outstanding response, with more than 4,500 registrations and 617 proposals. Seven teams that included college students, technology professionals, and developers from across India were selected for the final round held at the Learning and Development Center at Cyient in Hyderabad, from February 5–9, 2018.

The finalists were judged based on the uniqueness of their solutions, scalability when applied to the real world, and demonstrability of their vision. The applications were assessed by a panel of judges that comprised Rama Iyer, Senior VP & Head – Innovation & Strategic Alliance, T-Hub; Reena Dayal Yadav, Director – The Garage, Microsoft; and Aadesh Bumb, Senior Manager – India & South Asia, DJI.

B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, Founder & Executive Chairman, Cyient, said, "I am delighted that Cyient hosted India's first UAV hackathon, Hackadrone 2018, with an objective of stimulating innovation across the country for drone applications. Use of deep technology can help solve social issues in agriculture, national security, and public safety. I am pleased that we saw strong participation from the student community, start-ups, and multinationals."

Speaking on the occasion, Krishna Bodanapu, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Cyient, said, "Hackathons are an engaging approach to foster imagination and build an ecosystem of ideation, deliberation, and implementation. I am pleased with the overwhelming response to Hackadrone 2018 and have enjoyed interacting with India's finest talent in the UAV space over these past few days. It was exciting to see the range of incredible applications created by our finalists. We extend our warmest congratulations to the winning teams."

Hackadrone 2018 was organized by Cyient and DJI in sponsorship with Microsoft and the Government of Telangana.

The winning solution of Hackadrone 2018 was developed by Team Drone Force that comprised Pragnya Kondrakunta, Fatima, and Swapna Bhandari from Hyderabad, who developed a prototype to promote women's security. Their solution identifies when a victim needs help by sending real-time alerts to a control station and registered guardians. The control station immediately deploys a UAV to the victim's location, ensuring immediate, preventive action.

The second position was won by Team FLY Ranger that included Akshit Mahajan, Pramod Kumar, and Shubham Gupta. The IT professionals from Bengaluru developed a prototype for warehouse and order-fulfillment center management with no GPS mapping (indoor locations). The system deploys UAVs to scan product barcodes and uses stereo cameras to map the area for the distance between a drone and other surface or objects.

A special mention was given to Team Quidich that comprised Karmasakshi and Siddharth Chinoy, tech professionals from a Mumbai-based start-up. Aimed at promoting women's security in India, their solution allows the system to be activated when a victim triggers an SOS button on her mobile device. This alerts the nearest drone control center and police control stations and provides vital information about a victim's location.

About Cyient:

Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) provides engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, networks, and operations management services to global industry leaders. Cyient leverages the power of digital technology and advanced analytics capabilities, along with domain knowledge and technical expertise, to solve complex business problems. As a Design, Build, and Maintain partner, Cyient takes solution ownership across the value chain to help clients focus on their core, innovate, and stay ahead of the curve.

Relationships form the core of how Cyient works. With over 14,000 employees in 21 countries, Cyient partners with clients to operate as part of their extended team, in ways that best suit their organization's culture and requirements. Cyient's industry focus includes aerospace and defense, medical, telecommunications, rail transportation, semiconductor, utilities, industrial, and energy and natural resources.

DJI is a global leader in developing and manufacturing innovative drone and camera technology for commercial and recreational use. DJI was founded and is run by people with a passion for remote-controlled helicopters and experts in flight-control technology and camera stabilization. The company is dedicated to making aerial photography and filmmaking equipment and platforms more reliable and easier to use for creators and innovators around the world. DJI's global operations currently span North America, Europe, and Asia, and its revolutionary products and solutions have been chosen by customers in over 100 countries; for applications in film, advertising, construction, fire fighting, farming, and many other industries.